Article stacker



Oct. 16, 1951 HQP, CURLEE 2,571,840

ARTICLE STACKER Fliled March 2@ 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l :Il in l n" l V E l Ill jr' :fi

Harz/ey F. Car/ee Oct. 16, 1951 H. P. cuRLl-:E A 2,571,840

ARTICLE STACKER 'i' Filed March 2, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Sufi ich w1 5 Harvey P VCar/ae Patented Oct. 16, 1951 ARTICLE STACKER Harvey P. Curlee, Raleigh, N. C., assignor to Curlee Machinery Company, Inc., a corporation of North Carolina Application March 2, 194s, serial No. 12,663

9 Claims.

1 This invention is directed to an apparatus for stacking iiat surfaced articles on edge in a row or rows. In particular the invention relates to an apparatus for stacking rather fragile and` wafer-like articles such as crackers, cakes, candies or cookies.

Many different machines have been evolved in the prior art for stacking crackers and the like before boxing them, or placing them in a magazine of a machine for further processing. The speed of these machines is limited to the point where excessive breakage of crackers will not occur. In other words, the limiting point is the speed at which the articles can be handled without breakage occurring by reason of vibration, or by impact occurring by the articles being thrown, or by being hit by some relatively high speed moving part of the machine. These limiting factors are inherent in the design of all known prior art machines.

An object of this invention is to produce 'a stacking machine having a greater output than existing machines.

Another object of the invention is to produce a stacking machine in which the articles are handled more slowly relative to the moving parts of the machine, but in such a manner as to increase the overall output of the machine as compared to prior known machines.

A further object of the invention is to construct a mechanism for transporting relatively fragile articles from unstacked to stacked position by moving parts which will not whip or beat the articles so as to break the same.

Generally, these objects are obtained by causing the articles to slide 01T a horizontal table down an inclined plane by gravity fall, and slowing the movement of the articles down the plane while simultaneously larranging them so that they will be deposited on edge and in a row on a lower horizontal table. The retarding of the movement of the articles down the inclined plane is accomplished by a series of curved elements moving in the same direction as the articles and forming pockets intovwhich the articles fall, the curved elements being of such conguration as to come only in gentle sliding contact with the articles as the articles move down the plane and are deposited on the lower table.

The means by which the objects of this invention are obtained are more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: y

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my machine with a portion of the covering removed;

Fig. 2 is a left side elevational view of the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a right side elevational view of the machine of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of the mechanism for lowering the articles on the inclined plane.

The stacker assembly comprises an inclined plane A supported by a triangular frame B. At the top of plane A is a horizontal table C which includes an endless belt for feeding articles to plane A. A lower table D at the bottom of plane A receives the stacked articles. The apparatus illustrated is constructed to form four rows of stacked articles.

Inclined plane A is composed of a at surfaced slide member 2 divided by baffles 4 into four chutes which converge downwardly. The plane is continued into a retarding device 6 composed of two endless chains 8 supporting crossbars I0, Fig. 4, and rows of curved elements l2 secured to the crossbars. Chains 8 are mounted on cogs I carried by shafts I3 journaled in bearings I. Angles I8 secured to frame B support the upper reach of chains 6 to prevent sagging. The chains are driven through cogs |11, the upper cog being in turn driven by chain 20 attached to gear box G, which is actuated by motor M.

Slide member 2 and device 6 form together a substantially continuously inclined plane extendingbetween the upper horizontal plane of table C and the lower horizontal plane of table D. This inclined plane is at an angle of about 35 to the horizontal, although greater or lesser angles of inclination can be used as long as there can be a fall of articles by gravity down the inclined plane. Slide member 2 and device 6 have approximately the same angle of inclination, although not necessarily exactly the same, as their relative angles can be varied as long as the principal of the gravity fall of the articles is complied with.

The rows of curved elements l2 are separated by, and slidable between, rods 24 which are secured at their upper ends to the lower edge of member 2, the lower edge of the rods being curved at their lower ends, in a manner to be more fully described, to form horizontal portions resting on table D.

The chutes defined by baliies 4 are continued over device 6 by means of slats 30 secured at their upper ends to bar 32 extending transversely above the lower end of slide member 2, the lower ends of slats 3i! resting on table D. These slats 30 are of sucient height so that their upper edges are slightly higher than the tops of curved elements 3 l2. The purpose of the chutes is to begin the alignment of the articles into rows, while the device 6 orients the articles from a dat lying position to a vertical on edge position. slide member 2 and device S each constitute about one-half of the total length of the plane connecting tables C and D.

The sha-pe of curved elements I2 and their positioning relative to rods 24 is of particular importance. to a crossbar IB by a straight portion 4D which extends parallel to chains 8, each element being then curved into a semi-circle 42 which is tangent to portion 40. The diameter of the semicircle is perpendicular to the reach of chains 8. Rods 24 also extend parallel to chains 8, the lower ends of the rods being rst bent at'45 on a circular arc which has its center located on the longitudinal axis of the shaft connecting the adjacent spur gears I4, the rods being extended in a vertical tangent portion 48, and rebent at i9 to terminate in a horizontal foot portion 5B. It is to be noted that thepath of the free ends of elements 42 intersects curve 49 adjacent its point of tangency with foot 5d.

A light bristle brush Se is mounted above the upper end of device 6 to prevent excessive tumbling of articles over the device. The endless belt of table C may be driven by a take oi chain drive 62 from gear box G. On table D the movement of stacked articles is facilitated by covering said table with a moving belt which may be driven from upper shaft I3 through chain 64 and gear B6, Figs. 2 and 3.

The apparatus operates as follows: Articles, for example crackers, are dumped upon table C and carried by the endless belt to be spilled over onto the inclined member 2. The articles slide by gravity downward, and are guided into the chutes formed by baffles 4. The downward movement of device S is of less velocity than that of the articles on member 2. Consequently the articles slide into the pockets formed by curved elements l2, and slide on rods 24. Two or more articles may be deposited in a single pocket, and articles which by chance fail to locate in an upper pocket will slide downward over filled pockets until they eventually drop into an open pocket. To prevent a mass cascading of articles over device 6, should large heaps of articles come down slide 2, a brush B0 having light bristles, retards the movement of a mass of articles long enough so that the individual articles can drop into the moving pockets.

At the lower end of device S, as the curved elements l2 travel by the vertical tangent portions 48 on rods 2,4, the articles are brought to vertical position. As elements l2 further descend the articles are slid on edge along arc 42 as the free length of this arc is diminished by being drawn between tangent portions 4S of rods 24, so that as the ends of elements 42 descend below the curved portions 49 of rods 24 the articles are left standing vertically on edge. By this construction of the apparatus, it is to be noted in particular that the articles are then clear of the following downwardly descending elements l2 so that the precedingly dropped articles are not whipped or beaten by said following elements. At most, the following elements will have only a gentle sliding contact with the vertically standing articles, and experiments have shown that no injury occurs to fragile articles such as crackers.

As the articles are deposited on the feet 50 In Fig. 4, each element is secured.

4 of rods 24, they are pushed forwardly by the pressure of subsequently deposited articles, and as the articles leave feet 5B in rows, the movement of the rows is facilitated by the moving belt on Atable D.

The apparatus handles articles in greater volume and with less breakage than any other known stacking mechanism. This increase in output over prior machines is made possible by the novel principle employed in that articles are transferred from upper to lower horizontal planesinitially by gravity fall down an inclined plane, with the velocity of gravity fall retarded by means which positions the articles While lowering them, and then deposits the articles without impact. The device functions for the arranging of either one or a plurality of rows of articles, 'the use of four rows as disclosed herein merely being an illustration of one practical embodiment of the invention.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, I claim:

1. In an article stacking machine having means for transporting articles lying flatly upon a table forming an upper horizontal plane to a standing on edge position upon a table forming a lower horizontal plane, said means comprising a rst chute-like slide member having its upper edge adjacent said upper plane and being inclined toward said lower plane, and a linearly traveling pocket formingmember acting as a means for retarding lthe free gravity fall of the articles extending from the lower edge of said slide member in substantially a continuation of the plane of said slide member to said lower table forming the lower horizontal plane.

2. In a stacking machine as in claim l, a series of spaced rods extending between said chutelike member and, said lower plane, and said pocket forming member comprising arcuate elements movable between said rods and forming pockets therewith.

3. In a stacking machine as in claim 1, a series of spaced rods extending between said chutelike member and said lower plane, and said pocket forming members comprising an endless chain device carrying curved elements slidably mounted between said rods and forming pookets therewith.

4. In a stacking machine as in claim 3, said curved elements being of semi-circular shape, each diameter through the free ends of said semi-circular elements being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rods.

5. In a stacking machine as in claim 4, cog wheels supporting said endless chain device, said rods having their lowervv portions bent on an arc centered on the axis of the cog wheels supporting the lower end of said device.

6. In a stacking machine as in claim 5, said rods being rebent to form foot portions resting upon said lower plane.

7. In an article stacking machine composed of an upper platform,A a lower platform, and means for transferring articles from a flat lying position on said upper platform to an on edge position on said lower platform; the improvement in said means comprising an inclined slide member communicating atV its upper end with said upper platform and over which articlesare'slidable in gravity fall, and a downwardly traveling member of approximately the same extent .as-said slide member and lying in substantially the, same plane as said slide member; said traveling' member having means for receiving articles from said slide member and retarding their downward flow against free gravity fall while arranging said articles to be discharged from said traveling member in an on edge position upon said lower platform.

8. In an article stacking machine having means for transporting articles down an inclined slide connecting an upper horizontal table to a lower horizontal table and setting said articles on edge upon said lower table, said means comprising a series of spaced straight inclined rods joined by first arcuate portions to less inclined portions and terminating in foot portions connected by second arcuate portions to said less inclined portions, curved pocket forming elements slidable between said rods, and means for drawing said curved pocket forming elements through the arcuate portions of said spaced rods to slide said articles 01T said elements clear of said transporting means and in an on edge position on said lower table.

9. In an article stacking machine as in claim 8, said means for drawing said curved pocket`V forming elements comprising means for carrying said elements over at least ninety degrees, the periphery of travel of the ends of said elements forming an arc intersecting the point of tangency between said second arcuate portion and said lower table.

HARVEY P. CURLEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

